Operation during cold weather

Carry some emergency equipment, such as a window scraper, a bag of sand, flares,
a small shovel and jumper cables. Check the battery and cables. Cold temperatures
reduce battery capacity. The battery must be in good condition to provide enough
power for cold winter starts.

Use an engine oil of proper grade and viscosity for cold weather. Heavy summer
oil will cause harder starting.

Keep the door locks from freezing by squirting them with deicer or glycerin.
Forcing a frozen door open may damage or separate the rubber weather strips around
the door. If the door is frozen, use hot water to melt the ice, and afterwards thoroughly
wipe the water away.

Use a windshield washer fluid that contains an antifreeze solution. Do not use
engine antifreeze or other substitutes because they may damage the paint of the
vehicle.

SUBARU Windshield Washer Fluid contains 58.5% methyl alcohol and 41.5% surfactant,
by volume. Its freezing temperature varies according to how much it is diluted,
as indicated in the following table.

In order to prevent freezing of washer fluid, check the freezing temperatures
in the table above when adjusting the fluid concentration to the outside temperature.
If you fill the reservoir tank with a fluid with a different concentration from
the one used previously, purge the old fluid from the piping between the reservoir
tank and washer nozzles by operating the washer for a certain period of time. Otherwise,
if the concentration of the fluid remaining in the piping is too low for the outside
temperature, it may freeze and block the nozzles.

CAUTION

● Adjust the washer fluid concentration appropriately for the outside temperature.
If the concentration is inappropriate, sprayed washer fluid may freeze on the windshield
and obstruct your view, and the fluid may freeze in the reservoir tank.

● State or local regulations on volatile organic compounds may restrict the use
of methanol, a common windshield washer antifreeze additive. Washer fluids containing
non-methanol antifreeze agents should be used only if they provide cold weather
protection without damaging your vehicle’s paint, wiper blades or washer system.

Seatbelt maintenance
To clean the seatbelts, use a mild soap and lukewarm water. Never bleach or dye
the belts because this could seriously affect their strength.
Inspect the seatbelts and attachments including the web ...

Outback
Unlock the seatback by pulling the release lever and then fold the seatback down.
To return the seatback to its original position, raise the seatback until it locks
into place and make sure that ...